I am happy to give you a few tips before heading out into nature! Based on my experiences, I’ve put together a small guide for outdoor adventures.

Preparation for Outdoor Activities

For day trips, you don’t necessarily need to spend days planning your gear and provisions. For longer trips, however, careful preparation is essential.

Know Your Own Body

It’s crucial to understand your body and its capabilities. How much physical and mental stress can I handle? Do I have any chronic illnesses?

If you’ve never pushed your body to its limits, you should do so in a safe and controlled way. Pushing your mental limits is trickier — it’s not just about running a few extra kilometers. You need to step out of your comfort zone and eliminate the option of retreating to the sofa.

Strengthen Your Body

For travel to other countries, the necessary vaccinations are essential. Even in Germany, make sure to keep your vaccinations up to date — I especially recommend tetanus and tick-borne encephalitis (FSME) shots. Minor injuries and tick bites are almost unavoidable in nature.

Your doctor can advise which vaccinations you need for each country. You can also check the Tropical Institute’s website for detailed information. Beyond vaccines, natural body strengthening through exercise and a balanced diet is important.

Avoid Surprises

Got a new backpack? Test it first by carrying it a few kilometers. Start with a slightly lighter load than planned and shorter distances — maybe 5 km first, then 10 km a few days later.

The same goes for new hiking boots and socks. Break them in thoroughly and test them carefully — footwear is the foundation for successful hikes. If you’re prone to blisters, bring blister plasters or ointment.

Theory is Good, Practice is Better

Reading survival books is great, but nothing replaces practical training! Even a camping or hiking trip can suddenly turn into a survival situation. If you don’t know your gear inside out, you could face real danger.

Practice your skills in safe conditions until everything becomes second nature. Only then can you act confidently in emergencies without panicking.

Communication

Before or at the start of longer trips, inform your companions about the locations of first aid kits, emergency rations, and tools. Some situations don’t leave time for searching.

I’ve had good results using standard PMR radios. In both wilderness and urban areas, radios can provide a tactical advantage. Even 400–600 meters of range significantly improves communication, especially when out of sight of each other.

Navigation

Navigation is extremely important on any trip. Poor navigation is often why hikers end up in survival situations! A basic understanding of cardinal directions and star positions is usually enough, but additional tools like GPS devices, maps, and compasses are highly recommended.

Remember this saying: “The sun rises in the east, travels across the southern sky, and sets in the west.” With this, you can roughly determine directions even without a compass, as long as it’s not cloudy.

A GPS device is useful, but it’s no help if the battery dies. I recommend using a map and compass. You don’t necessarily need to buy a map — Google Maps offers an excellent service. Simply print the area you need and mark your own points of interest (POIs).